Golden Ears is the name of the
double summit that lies north of
Maple Ridge,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
and is visible from most of the western
Lower Mainland. The mountain is in
Golden Ears Provincial Park
Golden Ears Provincial Park is a Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada and is . It is named after the prominent twin peaks which are commonly referred to as Golden Ears ( Mount Blanshard) (elevation: ). The park was originally part of Gariba ...
, and was originally referred to as ''Golden Eyries'', possibly for
golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...
s that were observed near the summit. There is confusion about the name, because of the twin summits the peak exhibits. Many people believe that the mountain is named because it looks like ears which become golden in the sunset light.
Naming
![Golden Ears peak](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Golden_Ears_peak.jpg)
The area encompassing ''Golden Ears'',
Edge Peak and
Blanshard Peak
Blanshard Peak also known as The Blanshard Needle by local climbersRicker-CAJ83 is a distinctive rock pinnacle in Golden Ears Provincial Park that is visible from many places in the Lower Mainland. Named for the first governor of the colony of V ...
(Blanshard Needle) was originally called ''The Golden Eyries'', and the name was corrupted to ''Golden Ears''. The similarity of the peak of the double summit to
cat ears led people to believe that this mountain had the name ''Golden Ears''. In the 1930s or 1940s the government of the day renamed the entire area to ''Mount Blanshard'', and gave
Edge Peak its name, named the southernmost summit
Blanshard Peak
Blanshard Peak also known as The Blanshard Needle by local climbersRicker-CAJ83 is a distinctive rock pinnacle in Golden Ears Provincial Park that is visible from many places in the Lower Mainland. Named for the first governor of the colony of V ...
, and conferred the official name ''Golden Ears'' to the peak with the twin summit.
Current editions of the
NTC map 92G/07 and 92G/08 have the label ''Mount Blanchard'' since the Golden Ears group lies on the border between these two maps.
[
]
People in the
Lower Mainland have always referred to the area, the park and the peak as ''Golden Ears''.
See also
*
Golden Ears Group
*
Golden Ears Provincial Park
Golden Ears Provincial Park is a Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada and is . It is named after the prominent twin peaks which are commonly referred to as Golden Ears ( Mount Blanshard) (elevation: ). The park was originally part of Gariba ...
References
External links
*
*
Live Trails: Golden EarsGolden Ears Summit hiking route
Mountains of the Lower Mainland
Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Garibaldi Ranges
One-thousanders of British Columbia
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